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Best DAC for 27" iMac

Hello everyone! I have a question I'm sure somebody can answer for me.
I have a 27"iMac with my entire music collection on there. I have my speakers hooked up through my Sony DA4ES Receiver via interconnects and a Y-Splitter
I want to get the most out of my audio for music listening purposes. I know the next thing that will improve my audio the most is getting a DAC. I would like to know which DAC you guys would recommend me to use. I have a budget in mind of $800 or below. I would like the feedback of those who also have an iMac as well to see what their experiences are with a DAC. I'd like to thank everybody who reads this in advance and for their input.

Cheers,
Robin
128x128mrrobinchen

Showing 4 responses by ballan

ballan
184 posts
 
A DAC can make a huge difference, but for your gadget, I recommend you just use your Sony ES receiver and save up for a DAC that will give you a noticeable improvement. All you need to do this is a "mini toslink to standard toslink cable". Stay away from "mini toslink" adaptors.

That Sony ES receiver has a fairly good DAC section that will sound good in "direct stereo" mode. There is a "mini optical" output on the iMac. If you have any questions or need help, feel free to contact me.
ballan
184 posts
 
Yes, you've got it! That will allow you to send a direct digital signal to your receiver, and should improve the sound quality. From there, I recommend saving for a DAC and amp that will have better stereo (two channel) performance. Don't forget to have fun and keep the music flowing. ;)
ballan
184 posts
 
The Mono Price cable isn't "better". If you really want an optical cable that's "better", look at the VanDenHul Opticoupler and Wireworld SuperNova 6. Both of these cables can be made with "mini" on one end and "standard" on the other. They are true "polished glass" fibers.

iTunes will not play FLAC, but it seems like you are already in the process of reripping your collection. AIFF or Apple Lossless are the best to use with a Mac/iTunes. Apple Lossless takes up about half the space and sounds the same (to me), and it can always be transcoded into other "bit perfect" formats using third party software programs.
ballan
184 posts
 
Leave the "midi settings" to 16/44, and make sure to close/reopen iTunes so that it properly resets. Have the MP3 files been transcoded at some point? The MP3 should not sound as good, but there should not be "static". If the file was poorly imported or transcoded, it might have been corrupted. This can also be caused by scratched discs or a drive that was out of alignment. It might be time for you to re-import "rip" those tracks again.
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